Themes and Reporting Out

Pennsylvania Children’s

Roundtable SummitSeptember 23-25, 2010

&

Taste of

Summitry

“Have total respect for each other’s domain and where we are coming from.”

“This isn’t about blame … it’s about solutions.”Judge John Kuhn

Summitry

“When you told us [last year] to build capacity to make data-informed decisions, we were listening.” Cindy Stoltz

Summitry

“They promised me too much.” Youth in From Place to Place

“The state is a terrible parent …We want

families to raise kids.” Justice Max Baer

Summitry

“I don’t know why they didn’t call them… I don’t know my grandma at all.” Youth in From Place to Place

“70% of the children who age out of foster care end up in foster care themselves … ignoring that is something we all pay the price for.”

Kevin Casey

Voices

Experience with your GAL?

“Having an attorney would have been great….If I had the opportunity for a relationship, it would have fixed those problems.”

Al

Voices

Experience with your GAL?

“My child’s Child Advocate never even wanted to meet my child, even though she was representing him.”

Erica

Voices

“I’m a freight train rider… I’m on a constant search for my happiness.” Raif

Voices

“I can’t cook. I eat beans out of the can, cold….

I never developed a real relationship with anyone in the system, because I didn’t trust

them.” Raif

Voices

“It’s supposed to be substitute care, substitute homes, substitute family. It didn’t feel like that. I wish the system would just give them something that feels like a home.” Chris

Voices

“I can’t fathom … why children have to be raised in a system that was never meant to raise them.” Mandy

Voices

[After 17 placements] “the best thing I can say about foster care: it was a place where I could live.”… [now that I know my family] it feels good to know where you come from.” Isaiah

Culture of the Room

Discussions started with collaborationEvery table went quickly to task of

sharing and planning“ We know what we need to do.”“Judges are taking the lead, and they are

listening … everywhere.”

Data: Making Your Numbers Count

Use, don’t abuse data! Reach agreement on which questions you

want to answer …THEN go find the data! Leadership counts: leader must ask for data Data Champion: most curious person at table

will push you to struggle with the questions! Stay patient and focused: it takes time!

Data: Strengths

CPCMS will be helpful once data is clean Many are measuring from last year’s plan Systems have multiple sources of data

– Awareness strong– All systems involved in discussion

Identifying “real” areas of concern, not hunches– Considering HOW TO LOOK at disproportionality!

Embracing … not data-phobic!

Data: Challenges

We don’t know what data we have! Hard to connect data from different sources

– Side-by-side -- Reconcile

Getting agreement on what is important– What to measure?

Dedicated staff: no one to interpret our data Need training and TA on CPCMS

Data: Solutions

Explain our data to Roundtable…standing item Get dedicated, knowledgeable data staff Identify cross-systems data and how to use Identify what is available from CPCMS

– Data … Reports … TA

Tie Master Client Number (MCN) to CPCMS Identify University partners

TruancyHope floats – or does it sink the system?

Few have liaisons between county and school Need county- or state-wide definition of

“truancy” Identify homeless students: tend to miss them! Model: Louisville Truancy Ct Diversion Project Use carrots and sticks Audit “push out” policies and practices

Truancy: Strengths

Some counties: strong relationships w/ school districts, C&Y workers assigned to schools

Stakeholders sharing resources Willing to acknowledge system performing

poorly Leaders stepping up: judicial leadership

everywhere! Refer to “attendance” not “truancy”

Truancy: Challenges

Under-reporting and delayed referral Population changes i.e., city folk move to rural

– Turnover due to mobility– Different (block) schedules frustrate kids– Doctor-shopping for medical excuses

Different definitions of truancy, illegal absence– MDJ disparities within county

Cyberschool and home school truancy Incentives to push-out: test scores

Truancy: Solutions

Develop plan to bring school district to table– Invite MDJs and school districts to Roundtable

C&Y Truancy Luncheon for schools, MDJs MOU on info-sharing (see: Phila., York) Family Group Decision Making Individual assessment and followup Creating & following Truancy Elimination Plan Identify barriers (i.e., lock-outs)

Legal Representation: The Cornerstone Model

“If she was not mentally ill before, this service plan will surely put her over the edge.”

A judge

Legal Representation: First 60 Days

& The Cornerstone Model

VisitingPlacementServicesConferences

Legal Representation: Visiting

“All the research shows frequent visiting that is meaningful, where a parent feels like a parent, and a child feels their parent is being a parent, is the single best predictor of safe reunification.” Michele Cortese

Legal Representation: Make Small Adjustments

Ask about parent strengths

Parenting skills: How did you choose this program?

Visiting Handbook Visit Host Learn one regulation,

one policy guide

Ask: “What has worked in the past?”

Ask parent & older youths: “Is there anyone you can bring to the visit?”

Refrain from asking about ASFA in first meeting!

Legal Representation: Strengths

Strong passionate attorneys Rotation v. specialization Required training

– Contract– Pilot Core Training

Recognition that GALs & parent attorneys need more info

72 hour hearing always a conference

Legal Representation: Challenges

Lack of focus on FSP as planning doc– Reconcile competing docs: FGDM/FSP/Order

Lack of meaningful client contact– Meeting client at court

Competing priorities of private attorneys Low fees and inadequate funding Indirect complaints about caseloads

– Not enough funding for lower load– Not enough time to meet clients at court

Legal Representation: Solutions

Improve C&Y communication with attorneys Clarify expectations on practice Video on youth feedback Survey parents, children & caseworkers on

attorney performance More training, mentoring, resources Law student research assistants Improve compensation, caseloads

Legal Representation: Voices

“My attorney was always there … I stalked her & she was always available for me. At the end of the day I knew it was going to be OK because she was there.”

Erica

Fatherhood: Voices

“You’re not going to hit him, are you?

Cause I don’t want to miss that.”Fresh Prince of Belair

“Fathers are about as useful

as a microwave.”

Fatherhood: Creating a Culture of Inclusion

Costs of absence & benefits of involvement Father Friendly Check-Up: YOUR shop! QIC Non-Resident Fathers: research-based approaches Best practices

– Identify and locate fathers early; include fathers in FGDM– Enhance representation & engagement– Encourage visits and plans– Understand male help-seeking & learning styles

Find fathers through mothers– Judicial colloquy

Fatherhood: Strengths

High level of engagement in many counties Using Family Finding to identify fathers Connecting with county partners

– Child support collection sometimes drives

Judicial orders for paternity testing

Fatherhood: Challenges

Incarceration, prison visitation settings/policies After-hours C&Y/foster care visitation Provider consistency on engagement Judge-driven paternity testing

– “Waiting 6 months too long.”

Multiple fathers: bio – legal - presumptive– Should we seek out bio dad when have a legal dad?

Fatherhood: Solutions

How are WE doing? Use data to evaluate engagement!

Conduct diligent search at referral Build county structure for identifying fathers

– Partner with DR and Adult Probation

Use Family Finding Fathers of children of minor moms

Voices

“The question isn’t ‘who is going to take the kids today?’ The question is: ‘how big is your family?’.” Kevin Casey

“Try not.

Do.

Or do not.” Yoda

“We live in a world

…in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘it’s not my child, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those people who see the need to respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

Fred Rogers